A flat panel display device typically includes a display panel and a driver circuit that is electrically connected to the display panel for its display control. Conventional methods that can accomplish the electrical connection of the driver circuit to the display panel include COF (chip-on-flex or chip-on-film) and COG (chip-on-glass) techniques. In a COG technique, a driver circuit is usually embodied in a driver chip which is directly connected to a display panel and hence allows electrical connection between the driver circuit and the display panel. In a COF technique, a driver circuit is typically fabricated on a thin film substrate which is directly connected to a display panel and thus enables electrical connection between the driver circuit and the display panel.
In the COG technique, the driver chip serves as a carrier that carries the driver circuit and is configured for connection to the display panel. The driver chip is provided with pins (also called leads or output pads) which can be bonded to pins (also called leads or output pads) on the display panel to establish the electrical connection between the driver circuit and the display panel. In the COF technique, the thin film substrate serves as a carrier that carries the driver circuit and is configured for electrical connection to the display panel, and the electrical connection can be accomplished by bonding pins on the thin film substrate to pins on the display panel. Therefore, it is critical to bond the pins on the driver circuit carrier to the pins on the display panel with high quality.